Question

When discussing the risk-benefit of a medicine, what aspect should be considered regarding drug adverse event.

Answer 1

Adverse event is an injury caused by taking a medicine.It includes allergic reaction, adverse drug reactions ,overdoses, and medication errors. Adverse events have become major challenge in drug discovery.It is fourth leading cause of death after heart disease, cancer and stroke.

Adverse Drug Events means harm to patients due to the intake of medicine.They are different types of adverse drug events:

Preventable Adverse drug events: It happens due to medication error which reaches the patient and causes any degree of harm.

Potential Adverse drug events: Medication errors that do not cause harm to the patient.Medicines are intercepted before reaching the patient.

Risk factors for Adverse drug events:

1.Elderly patients are vulnerable to specific medication adverse effects than younger patients.

2.Polypharmacy is the one of main risk of Adverse drug events.Intake of more medicine unnecessarily can cause Adverse effects.

3.Pediatric patients are at high risk of Adverse drug events.

When discussing the risk benefit of a drug following things have to be considered about adverse drug events :

1.Drug's safety:A drug should be tested and sampled in bigger population.Drug interaction can happen between different types of medicine. For example drug Interaction can happen between calcium blocker and a beta blocker.Both can slow the heart and cause heart block.

2.Pharmacovigilance must be practicised by healthcare providers to avoid adverse drug effects

3 Monitor the adverse drug events in patients using certain drugs and study how drug interact with different population.

Adverse Drug events occurs due to the lack of knowledge of the healthcare provider or due to the the interactions between the drugs.It can be reduced by lowering the dose or stopping the medicine.Adverse drug Effects are unfortunate but can be avoided by the mutual team effort and not blaming anyone.